A/N: I had such a blast writing chapter 3, truly. But we're past that point now and onto chapter 4. Obviously this will not have the same intensity as the previous chapter but that doesn't mean the story is anywhere near over. Actually, the story is just beginning really. And with that said let us get right into this.
Azula was never one to understand why people would act so tense when they were afraid of her. If she did make a threat when she wanted someone to do something, or even just forced someone else to do something for her, wouldn't it be more productive to disregard that fear and get the work done. After all, if they were to try and perform an act while under such emotions there would be no way that they would be at their top level. That had to be why it was nearly nightfall by the time these sand benders were able to get her and her group through the desert and to the forest line they needed to reach.
Even when she jumped off one of their vessels she could see them flinching out of the corner of her eye. Honestly, all she did was destroy one of these vehicles and threaten to have the military hunt them down if they didn't work for her. She hadn't even harmed any of them and here they were acting as if she had beat on them for the duration of the trip. Even Adam, as silent and distant he had been ever since he was beaten and dragged along with them, wasn't acting this cowardice.
"The Fire Nation thanks you for your help, this is the end of your required services." Ty Lee had been the first to get by Azula's side, bowing and thanking the sand benders since the Princess surely wouldn't do such a thing. She had no reason to thank anyone when she should just expect that people would do things for her. It was just always her expectation, and they were helping royalty so that was a reward of its own.
"Yeah, whatever." The sandbenders waited until both Adam and Mai had moved over to the rest of their group before quickly speeding off into the sand in the evening light.
"Well, I'd say that was a successful trip, wouldn't you all?" The Princess stretched her muscles, yawning silently as she prepared herself for the journey ahead through the woods.
"Yes, of course." Ty Lee was always quick to answer her immediately, knowing quick responses pleased her.
"I got to sit and travel, it was nice." And of course Mai would give the lazy response, that was so typical of her. However Azula also waited for an answer to come from the young man himself who just remained quiet. Looking around Mai she saw him, his head hanging slightly as he stood a little further away from them than she would like.
"Adam?" She pushed, wanting to at least say something.
"It's over, at least." His words were forced, that much clear as he didn't even move his head to meet her own glance.
"You left your most trusted in charge, Adam, leave those thoughts of concern behind." At this point her attention was solely on him as she walked over to him, keeping only a few feet from him as she stood to his side. But even as she did that he still didn't say a thing. He just remained standing there, clearly lost in his own thoughts.
"Something the matter?" The question wasn't really genuine, her hand on her hips as she really just wanted to bury whatever it was that was making him like this. That wasn't what she got though, instead he slung his bag of belongings over his shoulder and walked away from her, in the direction of the forest. A more annoyed expression covering her face as she looked on at him.
"No one likes being taken from their home." Another voice finally spoke up, it belonging to Mai as her other two followers walked over to her.
"You would call that place a home?" Azula wrinkled her nose at the thought of staying in a rundown, makeshift village like that.
"Well, no. But to him it was."
"Yeah, like you said he's a colonial. Establishing his own home is in his blood." The Princess had to admit that Ty Lee's addition to the conversation was a surprising one. But even an aloof girl like her was aware of the social standings in the Fire Nation.
"Perhaps, but he needs to let go. We'll need his focus if his strength will be utilized properly." It took her longer than she would have ever wanted to, but in their battle she did draw out the fighting ability from him that she knew was there. And now it was working for her which only made her even more excited to see what she could do with something like that. Which was why she needed him to move on so that she could go ahead and use his power for her own wants.
"I'm sure he will, just give him some time." Mai picked up her own belongings as she finished her part of the conversation and followed after the young man in question, the other two following behind.
"Hm. Fine, but if it gets in the way I'll have to take that time away from him." Azula didn't want to force the issue if she didn't have to, but by no means did that mean that she wouldn't.
The four of them didn't make it too far before Azula ordered them to stop for the night and set up camp. A tent just for the princess, while the other three would be left to their sleeping bags or blankets that they carried with them. In their sleeping quarters though was a small fire that was easy to put together for a firebender that served to both keep them warm and heat up the soup they still had on them. Sure, the soup was awful but here they were, Azula and her two closest followers close to the fire as Adam sat away from them with his back to them.
So here he was, moving his spoon around in the soup as he thought about what he had just left behind. No, not what he had just left behind but what he had just failed to do. For the first time in his life Adam was able to give himself some form of control and was even respected as a leader. However, all that wouldn't even last a year before true royalty… a little girl who always seemed in control would come along and put him in his place.
Not even having spent an hour in his presence and she was able to identify that he had once been a colonist in the Fire Nation. No matter what he had done, his level of training and his commitment to making himself something new, she so easily saw through all of it. And because of that he was back to being what he always was. Just some soldier who was wanted for his ability and nothing more.
As he took a sip from the soup he turned his attention to it, smiling and giving a depressing chuckle as a realization came to his mind. His purpose here with the Princess was very similar to this soup that he was now eating. Sure, she wanted the soup and even needed it so that her own journey so in that sense it did have an important role. The issue though, was that once she either didn't prefer soup anymore or just wanted a better soup that she would just toss it away like it was nothing.
"Hey there, masked fellow." Adam's shoulders tensed up as he looked up at the one that had come up behind him, the happier one with the pony tail, and placed a hand on his shoulder. All she was met with though was an emotionless expression in the form of an unamused look her way.
"Oh c'mon," She wasn't one to give up as she sat right in front of him, placing a hand up to her mouth so to hide what she was saying from the others. "I'm not Azula."
That much was certainly true in what seemed to be in just about every way. "You are?"
"Ty Lee! And you're Adam!" She pointed to herself and then to him as she stated both of their names, being even more peculiar than before as she gained even more energy almost seemingly out of nowhere.
"You… seem rather happy for someone in your position." It was almost like she was still the little kids he once saw back in the colony who weren't aware of their own situation. He used to be like that too, running around on a playground without a thought in the world about the world. But here she was, in the midst of a larger than life group working with a stone cold young woman and she still acted this way.
"You just expect everyone in the Fire Nation to be like you, Mai, and Azula's brother?" Although Adam had only spent little time around Zuko, unknown to this group, and even less time around Mai he was well aware of what she was talking about.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"All dark and gloomy," He tilted her head at her, not sure if to be amused or offended, "not taking the time to even smile."
"Maybe we seem similar, but I'm not like them." Adam honestly… couldn't even begin to wonder why they were reserved and so down on themselves like he was, they had everything didn't they? His hands fidgeted on his knees as he sat there, his eyes scrunching at that known fact. He had a lack of understanding for those weren't like him.
"Guessing that difference lies in that?" Luckily for him though, he was pulled from these thoughts as she poked him right on his mask.
"Kind of." His shoulders finally relaxed as his focus turned to continuing this conversation with her.
"Kinda? C'mon give me the story." It was almost refreshing to have someone else his age be this… curious, she really was something else.
"It just comes from the colony I'm from. That's all." That was true, the legend of the White Fang was just some bedtime story his mom told him and one that his colony made up to make them feel more important than they actually were.
"Oh that's lazy!"
"What?" He couldn't help but be taken back by her outburst, being loud enough to probably wake up every creature in the forest.
"I expected some spooky tale, something bigger!" At this point she was using her hands to help animate her words, exaggerating how big the story behind the mask should have been. Adam could really see himself in her back when he had a similar perspective. She wasn't a child, no, she was what he couldn't be and that was someone who didn't give up on herself.
"You wanted a fairy tale?"
"Yeah, something like that." The young man didn't even notice the warm smile that had made its way to his lips, as he was finally comfortable after leaving his life behind.
"There's a smile! Maybe you are different, and maybe it's not just your mask that is the difference." By the time she ended her words she was standing, pointing her finger in his face again with another crazy level of excitement that he would never be able to match.
"Maybe so-"
"Time for sleep." The fire went out as Azula spoke out, Ty Lee disappearing to her sleeping bag faster than he could follow. Adam on the other hand chose to take his time with making his way to the blankets he brought with himself. No, this situation was not something that he was even close to happy with but there was one small light for him to hold onto. If he could even have one friend that was something that could keep him going.
To say that Adam didn't sleep well would be quite the understatement. Even after his conversation with Ty Lee he was still lying there thinking about his new life too much. Sure, a quick escape through a conversation with her was fun but that fun was long gone now. Now he, along with the other three, were walking through the forest again as they made their way to their destination which was meeting up with the Fire Nation fleet.
His own pace as they walked was faster than the others, even if only slightly which gave him some distance between the four of them. That's how he would prefer it too, so to get this over with as soon as possible. Not that any of this would be a quick process since he was likely in it for the long haul with that damned Princess. The only hope that he could have would be that she would be rid of him sooner than later.
"Adam, when we get to the shore it's best that you stay close to me. They aren't expecting you so they may think you're just some rogue criminal." Azula chirped at him, as he probably further from them than he had realized.
'Maybe they'll just kill me on the spot and this can be done with.' He thought to himself, continuing his walk at the pace he had before.
"For someone who hasn't even proven himself you sure are stubborn, you know I could just let them take you prisoner when we get back to shore if I wanted too." That time her words were enough to bring him to a stop. His jaws clenched as he wanted to bark at her for what she just said to him. He was already a prisoner in this very situation, even if she was crazy enough to see it another way.
"Well?" She pushed again, this time drawing a faint grunt from him as he continued to hold himself back. Usually he would have done cut through someone for treating him like this but he'd be dead before he really ever got the chance in this scenario. After all, he had already thought about it awhile ago.
"I..-" Adam began before getting cut off.
"Well well well, looks like we got ourselves a meal ticket." His attention was immediately brought ahead of him as he was startled, his eyes falling on two… no three figures that emerged from the shadows of the thick forest. All three, although different sizes, wore what looked like typical Earthbender clothing. The middle one seeming to have been the one who had addressed the four of them.
"We sure do, if you will just hand over anything on ya we'll be on our way." That revealed what was going on here as another one of them yapped, a group of thugs were here to take from them. Must have been looking for people to steal from or just making their way through when they stumbled upon Adam and the others. It angered him, that these punks were going to try and take from others like this. He slowly placed a hand on his sword, ready to draw it in a moment's notice.
"Listen, tough guy, we spit out warriors like you for breakfast. Swords ain't shit. So fork it over." This only angered him more as the middle one spoke again, Adam taking a stance that was lower to the ground as he was ready to strike. If these three were stupid enough to really try and steal from them they would pay the price, especially since they were Earthbenders. Enough had happened to him in the last twenty-four hours and now even more was being piled on top, ready to push him over the limit.
"Adam, we were just talking about you proving yourself. Do it." That was all he needed. As the middle thug stomped down on the ground and summoned a small boulder with his bending he had already launched his sword from his sheath, it bouncing off the dirt as the hilt slammed right into the thug's jaw. This gave him an opening as the thug was stunned so he leapt forward, rolling out of the way of another's boulder that was launched this time before sweeping at their feet with his leg.
This thug jumped back to dodge the attack but it was already too late, as Adam brought his sheath forward, now in it's gun form as he pulled the trigger. A rather unpleasant scream filling the air as flames from the gun engulfed the poor thug, who ran right into a tree before falling onto the ground. Then as Adam turned to look for the other thugs and his sword he was rocked by a boulder right in his chest as the first thug had regained his composure. Pain shot through his body as he rolled back, colliding hard with a tree as his body was brought to an abrupt stop.
The thug wouldn't stop there, launching several others as Adam ran into the thickness of the forest so to get a moment to breathe. In his anger he had lashed out and expected all of this to be easy but now here he was reeling. He had to take a moment to breathe and think of a plan. "Maybe I'll just target your friends instead, hm?" The thug shouted at him, giving the young man just what he needed.
The fool was distracted, his eyes on the "defenseless" girls that wouldn't be so defenseless if he actually attacked them. But he wasn't about to stop the idiot as he slowly moved around him to be behind him, again looking for his sword. It didn't take long either, especially with that red blade sticking out amongst the green grass like a sore thumb. As the thug again stomped his foot into the dirt his attack would be cut off again, this time literally as his head rolled and his body crashed down into the ground below.
Now there was only one left, this one being relatively quiet and still throughout all of the fighting. Then as Adam turned his attention to him, sheathing his blade the man took off in the other direction as fast and reckless as possible. He almost pitied the man too, he hadn't said a word or threatened them in anyway… but he still had to face his fate. If he couldn't have his own life thanks to the hands of Azula some simple man from the Earth Kingdom wouldn't have one either.
Shooting his sword ahead again this time he aimed for a branch that was above the running man's head, it bouncing off the wood and hitting the ground before the man who stopped suddenly. That was a poor decision, as Adam didn't stop. He had ran up from behind the entire time and as his sword bounced off the ground he leapt from a nearby tree and kicked the man in the back. The timing couldn't have been more perfect as the last remaining thug was now slightly impaled on the sword, leaning down as he gasped for life desperately.
On a good day he would have used his gun and have given this thug a quick end, but this wasn't a good day. Taking out his frustration he slowly pushed on the back of the man who was helpless to stop the blade from sinking deeper into him. It seemed like an eternity before the blade was fully through the poor thing's torso, a corpse being all that was left behind. Then with a lack of grace he kicked over the body and quickly removed the sword, blood covering the already red blade.
"Bravo, Adam. Bravo. I would have only done slightly better myself." Slow, irritable clapping could be heard as Azula and the others made their way over to him. At least she had something positive to say, as long as he did what he was told. Sighing he flicked the blood from his sword and stuck it back in it's sheath, turning to face them.
"Thank you." He muttered as Azula passed him, seeming as happy as could be about what she had witnessed. Mai had no real emotion on her face, which was to be expected. But then there was Ty Lee, who had a… fearful look on her face. That being understandable to him made him want to reach out and comfort her, to tell her she wouldn't see him be that brutal very often.
"And with that, we've arrived." However… that would have to wait as he heard the Princess shout back at him. As he caught up to her he stepped out of the forest, finally, and was now on what looked liked the top of a hill. At the bottom of that hill? A massive fleet of Fire Nation ships littered with more soldiers than he could possibly count, they had reached the shore.
A/N: Yeah… not gonna lie to you guys I didn't feel too hot about this chapter. But! The fight was kind of fun to write so I hope you all enjoyed that at least. The next chapter will have more information on what's ahead for our "heroes", which if you've seen ATLA you probably have an idea. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Please leave a review if you did and don't be afraid to message me if you have any questions.